5 things for May 16: North Korea, immigration, Tom Wolfe

Federal officials are responding after one person was killed Tuesday in an explosion at a medical building in Aliso Viejo, California.

By Doug Criss, CNN

(CNN) -- Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, has begun. Here's an etiquette guide for non-Muslims. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.

North Korea

A pothole has developed on the road to peace on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea threatened to abandon that planned historic summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump, set for next month in Singapore. The North said it wasn't going to be pushed into nuclear disarmament by the US. This comes after the regime suddenly suspended high level-talks with South Korea because the South is currently conducting military drills with the US.

This sudden step backward is stunning after Kim's well-received meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in a few weeks ago, in which the two leaders vowed to officially end the Korean War. But then again, the North is known for doing this type of thing: engaging in a charm offensive and then backtracking. But experts doubt the North will abandon a chance to engage directly with a US president, something it's wanted for a long time.

Immigration

Children caught crossing the US border illegally might be held on military bases -- and away from their families. The Trump administration is looking at three sites in Texas and one in Arkansas to hold minors, a Defense Department official says. It's the clearest sign yet the administration aims to move forward with a plan to split up families who cross the border illegally. Critics denounce the plan as heartless, but Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended it, saying similar separations happen in the US "every day." And the Obama administration also used military bases to hold immigrant children.

Gaza protests

As Palestinians bury their dead, Israel faces the wrath of the international community over the deaths of 60 protesters killed by Israeli troops at the Gaza border. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "profoundly alarmed" by the killings, and the UK wants an independent inquiry. The leaders of France and Germany expressed their concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One country that's not slamming Israel: the US, which blamed the deaths on Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza and which encouraged the protests related to the US Embassy opening in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday's violence was the deadliest day in Gaza since 2014.

North Carolina teachers

North Carolina is the next state to be swept up in the wave of teacher revolts against low pay and deficient education funding. Hundreds of schools across the state will be closed today, as teachers plan to march and rally at the state Capitol in Raleigh. North Carolina lawmakers said they have committed to a 6.2% pay hike for the next fiscal year. The protests in North Carolina follow similar actions in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado.

Tom Wolfe

Writer Tom Wolfe had such a way with words that he not only penned a couple of masterpieces but also pioneered a new literary style. Wolfe, the author of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Right Stuff," died at age 88 after being hospitalized with an infection. The journalist and author also helped popularize what became known as New Journalism, a long-form writing style in which writers became deeply immersed in the subjects they wrote about. His sense of style didn't end with the written word, either. His signature white, three-piece suits made their mark on New York's social scene as well.